Letters to the editor

Editor,

I was extremely annoyed by the picture titled "Bay Broils in Heat” on the front page of the April 21 edition of the Daily Journal. It shows Maxime Stadlen walking with her dog, Aiya, along the Bay Trail in San Mateo. Ms. Stadlen’s dog is not on the leash, which she is holding in her hand. This is a blatant disregard for leash laws.

People who feel they have superior animals, and that the leash laws don’t apply to them, are a public menace. Dogs, no matter how well trained, are unpredictable. They can unexpectedly cross in front of a moving bicycle or mistake a small running child for prey. Dog experts will tell you that a tethered dog feels threatened when approached by an unleashed dog, no matter how friendly, and can become agitated and hostile. More than once, an unleashed dog has intimidated my dog, on this same trail, and I have had to pull them apart. Good thing I was following the leash laws so that I could.

The city of San Mateo provides an ample area for dogs to run free at Seal Point Park near where Ms. Stadlen had her dog illegally off leash. It is my hope that the San Mateo Police Department will see this photo and ticket Ms. Stadlen, thereby enforcing the leash laws, so that all of us can use the parks safely.

Cynthia Beck

San Mateo

Shame on CNN

Editor,

As an American citizen, I have the right to publicly assemble with others to express my political opinions, as does CNN’s Ms. Susan Roesgen. There were Republicans, Democrats, gays and liberals at most of the tea parties. It wasn’t a party thing, it was an American thing. Unfortunately, Ms. Roesgen didn’t have the good sense to keep her political views out of her CNN news reporting. Instead of being a journalist, she got into a political debate, which is not cool. I rely on journalists to give me unbiased news so that I may make informed decisions. The media is a bedrock of our democracy. Shame on CNN for employing reporters who behave as PR tools for a political party. You shouldn’t wonder why the American public doesn’t trust TV news anymore! I shall stick to the local newspapers that are far more professional.

Richard King

Palo Alto

Marriage equality

Editor,

In praising Iowa’s Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, a letter writer hoped "the media coverage of California’s battle over Proposition 8” means other states will push for "equal marriage rights” ("California should follow Iowa with gay marriage,” letter in the April 15 edition of the Daily Journal.”) If "equal rights” was the issue, a lot more than same sex marriage would be debated. All the media coverage of this issue proves is that the slope isn’t slippery until the media greases it. We should be thankful that there are still a few independent voices like the Daily Journal left. Cherish them. There is still hope.

James O. Clifford Sr.

Redwood City